Notebooks

Story: Baboons who ate human beings

Title

Collection

Summary

In former times, when animals were people, the Baboons were jealous of a young Quagga woman, who lived with them, on account of the notice attracted by her great size. For this reason, as well as for her fatness, they killed her, telling the other people that her flesh was that of a young gemsbok. In Katkop dialect, by Díä!kwãin, who had it from his father Xaättin (L V.-25. 5993-5997). The Punishment of the Baboon, which appears to be a continuation of the above fable, was narrated to Díä!kwãin by an older female relation named Ttuobboken !káugn (L V.-24. 5974-5991). An explanatory note to the story of the Punishment of the Baboon was also given by Díä!kwãin from information received from his mother, ≠kámme–an (L V.-24. 5992). An account of when Baboons were people and ate human flesh, and were cursed as a result: the Baboon cooks 'gemsbok's' flesh on the hunting-ground and takes it home to feed the people, but deceives them because it is actually the flesh of a human being. The people are suspicious and question a child who was there on the hunting-ground with the Baboon. The child tells them that they are actually eating human flesh. The people plot to punish the Baboon and make him sit on hot stones so that he burns his buttocks. Baboons' tails are still hard and carry the burn marks to this day, because the people cursed the Baboon to eat only certain plants and bitter-tasting food and retain this appearance.

Comments

1) pp.5974-5977 were translated in August 1882, 2) See also The woman eaten by baboons: a fragment of the account and The woman who was killed by the baboons, 3) p.5988v: (18 February 1876) a bird called !koroken-!koroken and details of its appearance, 4) This story is found in Book V-24